Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 1.djvu/195

, Gray.

White-footed Antechinus.

Phascogale leucopus, Gray in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. x. p. 261.—Ib. List of Spec, of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 100.

—— (Antechinus) leucopus, Waterh. Nat. Hist, of Mamm., vol. i. p.423.

I have figured this little Opossum as an inhabitant of Van Diemen's Land on the authority of Dr. Gray. The specimen from which he took his description is now in the British Museum, and appears to differ sufficiently from the other members of the group to warrant its being characterized as distinct; but on this point Mr. Waterhouse remarks,—

"The general tint of this animal is somewhat darker than that of Phascogale albipes; the upper surface of the tail is almost black, while in the species just mentioned it is greyish, and the ears are smaller. Beyond these, I can perceive no other points of distinction between the Van Diemen's Land animal and the Continental one (P. albipes). Of the former I have seen but one specimen, and I can scarcely satisfy myself, from such imperfect materials as are before me, that these White-footed Phascogales are specifically distinct.

"A small Phascogale is found at King George's Sound, which agrees very closely with the P. leucopus, being of the same dark colour, and having the tail black above, or nearly so. Two specimens in Mr. Gould's collection, thus resembling the Van Diemen's Land animal, differ, however, in having the chest of a dusky grey hue. A specimen from King George's Sound, and contained in the British Museum collection, differs in having the colouring less dark, and, indeed, very closely resembling that of Phascogale albipes.

"Fur very soft and rather long; general colour grey, much suffused with black on the back, and very finely pencilled with pale yellow, the yellow most distinct on the head and sides of the body; feet and under parts of the body white; ears tolerably large, and clothed with minute hairs, for the most part dusky, but pale at the basal portion of the ear externally; upper surface of the tail nearly black, under surface dirty white.

The figures are of the natural size.